MISSOULA — Kidneys are one of the most commonly transplanted organs in the U.S., and the need for donors is much greater than the number of people who receive a transplant.
Some people could wait on the list for several years before they receive a viable option from a deceased or living donor.
For one Missoula man, it took less than a year for him to find a match, and he found her on his job.
Jason Fellin, 47, spoke to MTN News in February 2022 in an attempt to exhaust all of his resources to find a kidney donor.
He was born with IGA nephropathy, which is an autoimmune disease that progresses over the years and causes kidney failure.
Jason’s kidney function started to decline around Fall 2022, and that’s when he launched his campaign to find a donor.
“We told everybody about the campaign at work and a few of my coworkers signed up. I was really touched by that,” Fellin said.
One of those coworkers was 46-year-old Amy Devin. The two met on the job and were “friends by proximity” at the Missoula mapping technology company called OnX.
“It was a pretty big surprise actually. I had no idea [Jason] had any kidney troubles at all. HR had sent out the link to his website and that’s how I found out about everything — that he was having kidney failure and that he was looking for a donor," Devin said. "They had the link right there to sign up, too. That was a shock, but that was the spark as to what was to come.”
Devin said her initial decision to sign up to be a donor was out of pure curiosity. She signed up in October 2022 within a day or two of learning about Fellin’s campaign.
“I figured, ‘Oh, the chances of this working out and me being a donor? That’s never going to happen,'” Devin said.
After six months of medical testing, she was surprised to find out she was a match to donate one of her kidneys.
But what made Devin go through with major surgery for a co-worker that she hardly knew?
“I had more reasons to do it than I had not to do it,” she said. “I’ve had a lot of blessings in this life.”
She said she has a history of donating blood and has the organ donor box checked on her driver's license, but this was another way for her to have a lasting impact on someone else’s life while she was alive.
“Sometimes people have kids and they see that legacy there and I don't have that," she said. "I know that I’ve had a great impact on people but this was something big. There’s no denying that. That was very satisfying to me.”
Fellin said he'll always remember the gift Devin has given him and he’ll never be able to thank her enough.
All Montana residents in need of an organ transplant have to travel out of state because the Treasure State doesn't have a transplant facility,
The two Montana residents went through with the transplant surgery at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle on August 16, 2023. Devin returned home two weeks later, and Fellin returned home two months later.
- RELATED: Read more about organ donations here
“It was hard when I came back to Montana. I felt like I was missing out on a piece of me,” Devin said with a stiff laugh. “It was cool to go through and have milestones with somebody. A lot of times, you go through a surgery, and it’s just you doing the healing all on your own.”
They reminisce about experiences they shared throughout the healing process like their “post-surgery baby bump.”
“They blow your abdomen up with gas so they can see when they’re doing all the surgery and stuff and then everything’s just swollen and inflamed," Devin said. "He came over [a day after his hospital discharge] and I was like I think we should take some maternity pictures.”
Because of this vital gift, Jason said he has more time to live freely.
Prior to the transplant surgery, Jason would hook up to his dialysis machine daily to make sure his body was removing toxins properly from his blood. It was an every-night peritoneal dialysis process, which consisted of four cycles that lasted about an hour and a half each.
He said he now gets better rest, can help out more around their Missoula home, and has more free time to spend time with his friends, wife, and 5-year-old son.
“I’m able to be more in my son’s life. That was one of the big drivers behind wanting to do this was to be there for him and raise him until he becomes an adult,” Fellin said.
Fellin has three kidneys inside of his body, and Devin has one following the transplant surgery.
“They don’t touch the originals. It’s more risky of a procedure,” Fellin said.
Although the transplant has enhanced Fellin’s overall quality of life, he’s cautiously optimistic about the healing process.
“People my age that get transplants, a lot of time they end up needing another transplant down the road, but you kind of take it a day at a time and be grateful for the gift you’ve been given,” Fellin said.
His message to anyone seeking a kidney donor: don’t be afraid to ask.
“It’s a very vulnerable thing to do, to broadcast your health need across as many channels as you can,” Fellin said. “But you’d be surprised at what someone would do once they hear your story.”
Devin jumped at the decision to sign up as a donor and went through with the procedure. However, she said she understands that donating isn’t for everyone but encourages others to listen to the still voice in the back of their minds.
“I think if there’s a little piece of someone’s brain or heart kind of thinking, ‘Oh, I’m kind of curious about that. I wonder if that’s something that would be right for me.’ I just encourage them to follow up on [that thought] and learn,” Devin said. “I learned a lot beforehand just from different websites and blogs about donation and what donors went through.”
The two expressed their gratitude for their supportive doctors and spouses throughout the months-long process.
Devin also said even though she gave a piece of herself away, both she and Fellin feel that they've gained another family during the process.
“It’s been really fulfilling,” Devin said. “It’s been great to see Jason get healthier and to know that he’s going to be there for longer for [his son and wife]. It’s not just him. It’s a family thing and I got to meet his mom and dad and friends so it’s almost like gaining another family in the process, too. Another thing, there’s just so many rotten things in the world that we just can’t do anything about and this was one way that I could actually make a difference and make life a little better and that’s a pretty great feeling.”
Learn more about kidney donations here.
